A Voyager's Cross
by Morgan Elizebeth Jacobs
Summary: Bogg and Jeffrey want to celebrate their first Easter together, but to find that there is someone missing from the table! this is MY story and once again Morgan and Jake have graciously helped me in this story. Please enjoy this story.
1. Chapter 1

_**Honolulu, Hawaii 1960**_

Two people lay on the beach, soaking up the warm sun. Phineas Bogg had tried his hand at surfing earlier and found he had liked it, but, because it had scared his twelve-year-old partner half to death, he had decided not to do any more of it. Instead, he to just lay down on the sand next to the boy, put his arms under his head, and closed his eyes.

At first, when Jeffrey Jones had asked to come to this place, Phineas had been a little reluctant. True, he and the boy had worked countless hours for the past four days, and both of them had earned a vacation, even it if was a short one. He just couldn't believe that the boy would rather read than enjoy the warm water of the ocean. He started to fade to sleep.

"Oh, geez, Bogg! Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" Jeffrey gasped as he closed his book, an interesting one about Hawaii.

Annoyed at being disturbed on the edge of sleep, Phineas replied without opening his eyes, "I know it's Sunday,"

Jeffrey sighed. "Oh, c'mon, Bogg! Get serious!"

The ex-pirate opened his pale blue eyes and propped himself up on his side to look at the boy. "Okay, I give. What day is it?"

"It's Easter, Bogg!"

That made Phineas sit up. "Easter? Already? Wow...time sure does fly when you're havin' fun, huh, kid?"

Jeffrey chuckled. Sometimes you just had to love the guy. "Sure does. I just can't believe..."

Phineas noticed the sudden change in the boy's face as his voice trailed off. Jeffrey looked down at the sand and fingered it. Bogg cupped his chin in his big hand and lifted the boy's face.  
His heart went to the kid as he realized that this was the first major holiday that Jeff wouldn't be with his parents. Tears were starting to form in his eyes, and Phineas gathered his young partner into his arms. "It's okay, kid. I understand."

Jeffrey wrapped his arms around his friend as tears fell freely down his cheeks. He hadn't done that in a long time, and he hated it! You're not a man if you cry, Jeffrey, his father had told him. Angry with himself, he wiped his tears away on his naked arm. He looked up at Bogg, who was looking out over the ocean. "I'm sorry, Bogg," he apologized, his voice still a little shaky.

_  
_"What do you have to be sorry for?"

_  
_"You know; crying."

_  
_"Listen, kid, it's perfectly okay for you to cry. I just told you I understand, didn't I?"

_  
_Jeffrey nodded slowly. Phineas smiled at him and stood up to his full six-feet-one. "So, what do you want to do to celebrate our first Easter?"

_  
_The boy also got up and brushed the warm sand off his legs._  
_"Can we go to the Easter sunrise service?"__

Phineas groaned. He remembered those from his own childhood; always at an hour that had to be too early to be decent. He bit back the complaint that rose to his lips and said instead, "Sure, why not? We just have to find out where it's gonna be and what time,"

_  
_Jeffrey smiled; the idea of spending Easter with Phineas raised his spirits considerably and made his grief recede to bearable levels._  
_"All we have to do is find a church, Bogg."

_  
_Phineas grinned. "So why don't we go back to the hotel and get showered and changed? I don't know about you, but I sure don't want the salt all over me when we get to the church!"

_  
_"Good thinking, Bogg." Jeffrey smiles, and they walked up to the hotel.__

Jeffrey was first into the shower; when he was done, Phineas took his turn. The hot water felt good on his aching muscles, and he sighed in relief. At length, he dried himself off and got dressed.__

He emerged from the bathroom and found Jeffrey sitting quietly on the bed, reading his book. "It doesn't matter how many Voyages I've been on, kid; I'm always amazed at how things change over the years."

_  
_Jeffrey put down his book and grinned. "I know. I think that's why I always loved history."

_  
_Phineas sat on the other bed to put on his boots. He liked the bathing suit he'd worn on the beach, but nothing felt better than his own clothes. "Well, kid, what say we find out about this sunrise service of yours?"

_  
_"All right!" Jeffrey almost shouted as he jumped up from the bed.

_  
_"You don't sound too excited there, kid," Phineas teased him as they headed out of the room and went downstairs to the front desk. A man in his late forties was behind it, smoking a cigar and watching a black-and-white TV.

"Scuse me, sir?" Jeffrey called quietly, standing on his tiptoes. Phineas hid his grin; as the boy could just barely reach the top of the desk.

The big man turned to face Jeffrey and puffs smoke into his face;  
the boy waved the smoke away and coughed. "Is there a sunrise service tomorrow morning?"

"A what?" the man said, pure confusion in the grey eyes.

"Easter sunrise service. Do you have one around here?"

"Sorry, son. Never heard of it."

Jeffrey's jaw dropped, and he and Bogg exchanged glances. "What do you mean, you never heard of it?" he blurted.

Phineas put a hand on the thin shoulder. "Easy there, kid."

"But, Bogg..."

Phineas smiles and started to pull Jeffrey away. "Thank you for your time, sir." he said to the clerk and led the boy out of the hotel. Once outside, Jeffrey began to pace back and forth, mumbling something.

"Jeffrey, take it easy," Bogg repeated, getting worried.

"How can I, Bogg? If that guy doesn't know about Easter, then something must have happened to Christ! And, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I'm gonna like doing this one!"

"Are you saying we're going have to----?"  
Jeffrey nodded, tears beginning to fall. "'Fraid so. We're gonna have to make sure Christ gets crucified."

Phineas sighs. He hated that part of the job. It was bad enough when they had to _let_ such things happen, but it was far, far worse when they had to _make_ _sure_ someone died. He knew the story of Christ and that everything turns out okay, but he just didn't like the idea of making sure the guy died. He also wasn't sure about taking Jeffrey to that time zone and having the kid watching it happen. He was still dealing with the death of his parents, and Bogg was surprised that he would want any part of this assignment.

Jeffrey noticed Bogg's hesitation and put a hand on his guardian's arm. "It's okay, Bogg. I can do this." Jeffrey tried to make his voice sound more confident than he felt.

"You sure?"

Jeffrey slowly nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay; what year?" Phineas opened his Omni and began to work the dials.

Jeffrey thought a moment. "I'd have to say around some time in April, 36 A.D. Jerusalem."

"Grab on." Phineas felt the small hands hold onto his arm, and he pushed the button.


	2. Chapter 2

****

Jeruselem 36. AD

The two Voyagers landed in the middle of a milling crowd, and Phineas found he had been separated from Jeffrey. He looked around himself; his eyes darting back and forth as the deafening sound of angry voices overpowered his voice when he called for the boy. His heart was in his throat; this wasn't a crowd, it was a _mob._ The way they were milling around and pressing forward to see…whatever had drawn them in the first place, anyone who had the misfortune to be under those feet would be trampled to a pulp. He hoped the kid would be able to get up before that happened.

As long moments went by without any sign of the boy, worse thoughts began running through Bogg's head. What if they'd gotten separated in the Cosmos? _No!_ He told himself firmly. It would do neither of them any good for him to fly into a panic now, and panic it would be; losing Jeffrey would be like losing part of himself. "Jeffrey!" he roared, jumping up to see above the crowd, trying to find a single dark-haired boy in a crowd of dark-haired people.

Jeffrey scrambled to his feet the instant he hit the ground; he knew the dangers of being caught down in this kind of crowd. He knew what was happening, and he didn't really want to see it. He looked around for Bogg and froze when he didn't see him. "Bogg! Bogg, where are you?" he called uselessly, his voice lost amid the shouts and screams of the crowd. Suddenly, he felt a strong arm on his, pulling him away from the milling bodies. "No! I've got to find Bogg!" Jeffrey cried, trying to get away from the person who was holding him.  
"No place for a young boy," a deep voice said, keeping a firm hand on the struggling boy.  
Jeffrey continued to call and struggle. Pressing crowds like this could crush a grown man, even one as big as Phineas. If he couldn't get up fast enough..._No._ He slammed the lid on that thought before it could even complete itself. There was no need to panic; he'd been separated from Bogg before, he told himself. But he never liked it; he was forced to admit. Bogg was like a father to him and had been right from the get-go. He'd lost his own father; he couldn't bear to lose Bogg, too. His struggles intensified, and he almost managed to pull himself loose.  
The stranger wrapped his big arms around Jeffrey and lifted him off his feet just as he nearly succeeded in slipping from his grasp. "Now, son, I don't know who this Bogg is, but if he's in there, you're not going to see him for a while. If you promise not to run, I'll let you go."  
From his new vantage point, Jeffrey could see that there would be no running into that crowd to find Bogg; he would just have to wait until the older Voyager found him. Reluctantly, Jeffrey promised, and the man set him down. Turning to get a look at him, he was suddenly glad he had declined to run. The man was taller than Bogg and a lot bigger, too. The dark hair and beard almost covered the man's face, but Jeffrey could see his eyes, firm yet kind.  
"My…my name's Jeffrey Jones. Bogg's my father,"  
"You call your father by his name?" the man asked, folding his huge arms over his chest, staring at Jeffrey in disbelief.  
"He's my adoptive father," Jeffrey explained with a shrug.  
"Oh, I see. By the way, I'm Peter." the man extended his hand and Jeffrey accepted it, his eyes very round. Peter himself! _Wow!_ But… "What did you mean when you told me that Bogg will be gone for a while?"  
"Well, Jeffrey, a man is being scourged right now, and there are a lot of angry people in that crowd. They want to see blood, and the Romans…they've been known to flog men to death." His voice caught on the last word.  
Jeffrey caught his breath in a gasp. He knew the story; though Scripture had never specified the number of lashes, he'd heard tell of estimates made from analyses of the Shroud of Turin. No mere man could have survived what the Nazarene had endured.  
"I don't think that they're going to kill Jesus now. They're just out to make a statement."  
Jeffrey nodded, understanding what Peter was saying. He might be only twelve, but he did understand the politics that had been involved.  
He didn't even know if the Omni was red or green. He gazed at the crowd, hoping that Bogg was all right.

The sound of a "cat" slicing through the air and striking flesh reached Bogg's ears, and he flinched. Though he'd never been flogged himself, he'd seen it happen to others, and he knew what a cat-o'-nine-tails could do. The current of the milling crowd forced him further inward; momentarily, his feet actually left the ground, and the press of bodies turned him until he could see what was going on.

The man tied to the post was a mess. This was far, far worse than anything Bogg had ever seen, and he turned his eyes away as his stomach clenched. He was amazed that the victim did not scream, though he was clearly still conscious; one could see it by the way his fists clenched in the ropes that bound him. Scripture did say that He made no sound throughout His torment, but reading about it and actually seeing it were two entirely different things. His jaw clenched, he turned and began to shove his way back through the crowd. There was nothing he could---or _should---_do for Jesus; he needed no green light or guidebook to tell him that this was right. His mind and heart turned back to Jeffrey as he tried to figure out where the boy could be.  
He jumped once more as he approached the outer edge of the crowd, and this time he saw Jeffrey standing with another man. "Jeffrey!" he called in relief, though it seemed the boy still could not hear him. He pushed his way out of the crowd, though it took all his might to do so. As he broke free at last, he ran toward the boy.  
"Jeff!" he shouted as he drew closer.  
The boy turned when he heard his name. "Bogg!" he cried in relief and tried to run to his friend, but Peter stepped in front of him and drew a knife.  
"Put a hand on him, sir, and you're in for a fight!" Peter said through gritted teeth.  
Jeffrey put a hand on Peter's arms...actually, both hands, and tried to pull the arm down. _"No! _That's my father!"  
Slowly, Peter put away the knife, never taking his eyes off Phineas as he did so. For his part, Bogg remained still, winded from his struggle with the crowd. Peter let go of Jeffrey, who immediately ran to Phineas; the big fisherman watched as the other man grabbed the boy in a great bear hug.  
"Bogg, I was so scared I'd lost you!" Jeffrey breathed in Phineas' ear.  
"It's okay, kid. We're back together," Bogg whispered, tightening his grip, not wanting to let go ever again. He knew just how the kid felt this time.  
"I'm sorry, sir. If I had known who you were, I never would have drawn my knife on you," Peter said as Phineas set his young son down once more.

Keeping one arm on Jeffrey's shoulder, Bogg smiled and extended his hand. "Don't apologize for protecting my son, sir. I'm glad he was well taken care of,"  
Peter accepted it. "My pleasure, Mr. Bogg. I just don't understand why you brought him here today, of all days,"  
Phineas sighed as he saw Jeffrey eyeing him as if to say, _Okay, Bogg, explain that one why don't ya? _"It was a mistake, really. We wanted to go shopping and ended up here," Phineas shrugged.  
_Pretty lame, Bogg. _Jeffrey sighed and rolled his eyes.  
"A mistake indeed," Peter said, not really believing the story.  
"Well, if Jeffrey is safe and back with you, I'd best get going. I told the others I'd meet them after the flogging,"  
Phineas nodded. "Thanks once again for protecting my son,"  
"You're more than welcome." Peter looks over at Jeffrey and smiled for the first time in ages. "Take good care, Jeffrey."  
Jeffrey nodded now safe with Bogg. He watched Peter leave and looked up at Phineas. "So, green light?" he asked, hoping.  
"I haven't had a chance to look yet. Hold on a minute." Phineas pulled out his Omni and opened it up. "Yep, green light." He showed the device to Jeffrey to let him see for himself.  
Jeffrey sighed in relief. "Now can we go back to Hawaii?"  
"Sure, kid." Phineas nods and reset the Omni. He wasn't sure what he and Jeffrey had done, or even if they'd had anything to do with the green light; he'd never checked the Omni after they had landed, being too busy finding the kid to check.

_**Honolulu, Hawaii, 1960**_

They got to their feet and brushed off, looking around for a church, anticipating the sunrise service. But all they found was another problem: There were no signs of Easter anywhere. No pastel-colored plastic eggs hanging from tree branches or any other Easter decorations graced the nearby houses. "Something still isn't right here," Phineas muttered.  
"You're telling me! Look, there's a priest!" Jeffrey started running across the street.  
"Jeffrey! Wait!" Phineas shouted. "That kid's gonna get it one of these days," he grumbled as he took off after the boy.  
"Excuse me, sir?" Jeffrey said, approaching the priest.

The man, who seemed to be in his late fifties, looked down at him. "Yes, young man?"  
"Are you having Easter sunrise service tomorrow?" Jeffrey was beginning to feel like a broken record. _This is a recording,_ he thought to himself.  
"Sunrise service? For what?" came the startled reply.  
Jeffrey sighed heavily. _Not again. _"You know, to celebrate the resurrection of Christ?"  
"Resurrection of whom?"  
"Christ. Jesus Christ,"  
The man shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry; never heard of him." The man walked away as Phineas caught up with Jeffrey.  
Bogg grabbed Jeffrey's arm. "First of all, DON'T go running off like that again with out telling me..." He cut himself off when Jeffrey looked up at him with a pained face. "What is it, kid?"  
"That man has never heard of Jesus Christ, Bogg!"  
"He's just one man, Jeff. Take it easy,"  
Jeffrey through up his arms in frustration. "Bogg, he's a _priest! _If _he _doesn't know anything about Jesus Christ, _nobody _does!"  
A woman altered her course to approach them. "Did I hear you say the name 'Jesus Christ'?"  
"Yes! You've heard of Him?" Jeffrey sounded almost triumphant.  
"Heard of Him? Why, yes, I have. He's one of my relatives." The woman smiled at Jeffrey, who could scarcely contain himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeffrey gasped when he heard what the woman said and looked at Bogg. "Did you say one of your relatives, ma'am?" Phineas asked her.

"Yes. He was murdered by King Herod's men just after he was born," she told them sadly.

Jeffrey tugged at Bogg's sleeve, and the older Voyager looked down at his young companion. "Bogg..." the boy began.

"I know, kid. I know," Phineas sighed. He knew they would have to go back.

Once the woman had turned to leave, Phineas opened the Omni.

"Bethlehem, zero AD Sorry, Bogg; best I can do." It was Jeffrey's turn to sigh and shrug his thin shoulders.

"It's okay, kid. I know they never exactly pinned it down," Phineas smiled at his boy.

"Thanks, Bogg." Jeffrey smiles back at him as he took hold of his arm.

"Thank you for your help, ma'am." Bogg called after the woman just before he hit the button.

The woman turned to respond and found that they had already gone. "Well, that was weird," she muttered.

Bethlehem, 0 AD

The two Voyagers landed on soft sand in the desert. It was night, and night in the desert was cold and miserable. They had to lift their legs higher than normal to walk through the soft sand; it didn't seem to bother Bogg too much, but it wasn't something Jeffrey was overly fond of. "This is worse than a beach, Bogg." he complained as he rubbed his bare arms.

"I know. Keep walking kid. We might find the stable soon," Phineas said.

They had been slogging through the sand for ten minutes when Jeffrey spotted the bright star. "Bogg! _Look!"_ he shouted gleefully and pointed upward.

Phineas turned his gaze in that direction; spotting the star, he let out a whoop. "We're here, kid!"

They almost ran the rest of the way to the stable and were surprised that Jesus hadn't been born yet. Joseph was hovering over Mary, who was apparently having some problems

"Bogg?" Jeffrey whispered as they entered the stable.

"I'm on it, kid. Don't worry,"

Jeffrey rolled his eyes at his partner.  
"Hey, it can't be that different from delivering sheep, can it?"

"Yeah; right," Jeffrey muttered.

They got closer to Mary and Joseph and saw the situation was bad. The Omni was showing a red light, and Bogg groaned silently. _Of course._

Joseph turned to them "Who are you?" he asked.

Phineas smiled. "We're friends; we're here to help," he informed the man.

"I certainly hope you are, sir. My wife is having such a hard time of it, and I'm terribly worried for her."

"Don't worry; I know what to do." I hope, Phineas added to himself. He approached Mary and whispered to her what he was going to be doing. He didn't really want the boy to hear it all, mostly because he figured that it might make him sick.

Jeffrey saw her nod, tears in her eyes. He smiled at her. "Trust him; he knows what he's doing." _I hope,_ he thought.

"I see a head," Bogg announced immediately upon examining the situation. "Okay; when I count to three, I'd like you to push as hard as you can for me," he told Mary.

She nodded. Phineas counted to three, and she pushed with all her might, clutching at the straw on the ground. Joseph took her hand in his, and she gripped it with bruising force.

"Good," Bogg said encouragingly. "Now breathe."

Jeffrey sat next to Mary and held her other hand; he grimaced when she squeezed it, but did not pull away.

"Okay; _push,_" Phineas told her. "Push and don't stop."

Mary pushed with all her might. Five minutes later, Jeffrey and Joseph heard the baby's cries.

"Bogg, you did it!" Jeffrey exclaimed.

Phineas held up the baby boy, put him in swaddling cloths and handed Him to Joseph with a smile. "It's a boy," he announced unnecessarily.  
"Jesus," Mary whispered.

"Jesus?" Joseph repeated.

"It means 'God is with us'." Jeffrey said.

"He sure is, kid." Phineas smiled at Jeffrey, who smiled back.

"I do wish you and your son would stay with us tonight," Joseph said to Bogg. "It's bitter cold outside."  
Bogg shook his head. "Sorry, but Jeff and I have things we have to do." _And that's putting it mildly_, Bogg added to himself. They spent a little more time in conversation before Bogg stood up. "C'mon, kid; it's time to get going."

When there was no answer, both men looked toward where Jeffrey had settled near Mary and the baby. Joseph grinned. "I think your son has other ideas," he chuckled.  
Bogg smiles when he saw the sleeping boy. "Well, I guess we're staying."

Some time later, when Phineas awoke, he found Jeffrey was already up and helping Mary with the baby. "You beat me, huh, kid?" His grin quickly became a yawn.  
"Yeah. I kept hearing Him cry, so I got up to help with Him," Jeffrey shrugged. "I can't believe you slept through it."  
"I must've been more worn out that I thought."

Joseph came back into the barn then, a worried look on his face.

"What's the matter?" Jeffrey asked as he wiped Jesus' face.

"I had a strange dream last night. An angel came and warned me about King Herod. He told me to get Mary and Jesus out of here.

Jeffrey got up and put a firm hand on the man's arm. "Joseph, you gotta listen to that dream," he said urgently. "King Herod will come to try to kill Jesus."

Phineas added, "Trust him, Joseph. The kid knows what he's talking about,"

"He must, because that's what the angel in my dream said. He told us to go to Egypt, but that's so far away."

Jeffrey shrugged. "If you leave now, King Herod won't get hold of Jesus. He'll be safe in Egypt."  
"All right. Mary, are you strong enough to travel?" Joseph asked his wife.

She sat up. "I suppose I'll have to be.. Jesus' life is important to all of us."

A few minutes later, Phineas and Jeffrey watched as Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus headed out into the desert.


	4. Chapter 4

Jeffrey looked up at Bogg and noticed that the ex-pirate still had his blue eyes on the young family. Grinning, he tugged on Bogg's sleeve; when Phineas turned to him, he asked hopefully, "Green light?"

With a sigh as he shared his young partner's hope, Phineas pulled the Omni off his belt and flipped it open; he grinned as he heard the familiar single chime. "Yep." He showed the device to Jeffrey, who let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. Can we go now?"

"Sure, kid. Hawaii again?"

"Can we?"

"I don't see why not; it's a good vacation spot for anybody," Phineas shrugged as he dialed in the date and place. Jeffrey grabbed hold of his arm with one last look around the stable.

**Hawaii, 1960**

The warm sun felt good on their skin as they walked down the street of Waikiki Beach, and Jeffrey found himself longing for some time so that he and Bogg could lie on the nice warm sand and watch the surfers. He really didn't mind watching Bogg surf; bug he did worry, knowing how dangerous that sport was. Of course, he knew that the girls _loved _to see Bogg on the board. He had to chuckle when he remembered their first day here, when Bogg had emerged from the water and three young girls had come running toward him.

"Hey, earth to Jeffrey," he heard Bogg's voice and blinked back to reality. "You okay? You looked a million miles away just now," Phineas said, concern in his voice.

Jeffrey grinned up at him. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"You sure?"

The boy nodded, and Phineas didn't press any further; he had known the boy long enough by now to know when to stop meddling and leave him alone with his thoughts.

"Something must still be wrong," Jeff said suddenly.

"What makes you say that?"

"There still isn't a cross, Bogg."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I wish I was. Look." Jeffrey pointed at the steeple of a nearby church, devoid of cross.  
Phineas put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and cleared his throat before saying, "Let's see if we can find someone to talk to."

They walked toward the church and found a man sitting on the steps, apparently thinking. He looked to be in his late fifties and was balding.  
"Excuse us for interrupting, sir," Bogg said, "but I was wondering when your Easter sunrise service is. You see, my son and I would like to attend..."

The man looks up at him. "Sunrise service? Who in the world would wake up that early to hear me speak?"

Jeffrey bit back a gasp. "Well, we would."

"Darn right, we would," Phineas agreed.

"Why would you want to go to a service at sunrise? Got nothing better to do?"

"We just want to celebrate Easter." _Or at least try to,_ Jeffrey thought.  
"Easter?" the priest blinked in confusion.  
"Yes, Easter. The day Christ rose from the dead." Jeffrey was starting to sound frustrated, and Phineas could understand only too well. This was beginning to get old.

The priest - for that's what he must be - brightened. "Oh, you mean Jesus, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, son, I don't know why you need to worship someone who lived to be a thousand years old."

"A thousand?" It was Phineas's turn to gasp. He had never heard of anyone living to be that old  
"Yes, a thousand. Is there an echo around here? Jesus lived to be a thousand years old before God finally took him away. That's why we celebrate Easter, but not as early as you would like to."

"That explains it, kid." Phineas whispered.  
"Yeah. And I guess we gotta go back,"  
Phineas sighed. "How far?"  
Jeffrey shrugs. "About 33 A.D. Jerusalem."

"Thank you for your help, sir," Bogg said to the priest. "You've been most kind."

"You're more than welcome, sir. Feel free to visit any time."

"Perhaps we will." Phineas took Jeffrey by the elbow, and the two headed down the street, far enough that no one would notice them disappear.

**_Jerusalem; 33 A.D_**

The street was crowded, and the people had their attention elsewhere than on the two Voyagers landing on the hard pebbled street.

"Ouch! No wonder I hate pebbles!" Jeffrey complained as he and Bog got to their feet.

"Like I keep sayin', kid: occupational hazard," Phineas sighed as he massaged his bruised hip.

Then the sounds of an angry mob reached their ears; Phineas had to pull Jeff back when he noticed the boy heading towards commotion. "Remember the last time we got separated," Bogg reminded him.

He didn't have to say it twice; Jeff hadn't enjoyed that experience one bit and had no desire to repeat it. "Are we there?" he asked...

Phineas once again opened the Omni. "Yep, we're there, kid. And from the looks of things, this time it isn't gonna be over till the fat lady sings."

"Pretty lame, Bogg."

Phineas shrugged as they headed towards the scene.

Jeffrey's brown eyes went big as he sees Jesus carrying the cross down the street. Someone almost accidentally punched Jeffrey in the face, not noticing the boy in the way of his gesticulating hands. Phineas grabbed hold of the man's fist before it could connect. "Watch where you're throwing those fists, willya?" he protested, glaring.

"Sorry, sir. Didn't notice him there. What's he doing here, anyway? This is no place for a boy."

"Can't very well help it, can we?" Phineas answered.

The man's angry face softened. "No, I suppose we can't. You know He's being crucified."  
Tears began to flow from Jeff's eyes.  
"Yes, we know," Phineas replied, his voice gone very soft from the constriction in his throat. His heart was heavy as tears began to well in his eyes.

Jeffrey stood close to him, definitely not wanting to be too far away. He didn't have to see the Omni to know it was green.

Suddenly, more shouting came from somewhere in the crowd, different in tone from the jeering of the rest. These were cries of triumph.

"I'll go check it out. You stay here," Bogg said firmly and headed off.

Jeff could only nod as he watched his guardian push his way through the crowd. He tried to jump up to see what was going on. Men were pulling the cross from Jesus' shoulders, and others were hoisting the Son of God on their shoulders, for He could barely walk due to exhaustion and pain. Then he discovered the Omni in his own pocket; Bogg must have slipped it there before going off to investigate. Now it was blinking red; and Jeffrey immediately knew what was wrong. The men were the disciples, and they were trying to rescue their Master. _"No!!"_ Jeffrey cried, unheard in the general noise. He saw Bogg in the midst of the fighting and really tried to do as he'd been told, but there was just no use; he had to go and help. He pushed his way through the crowd and, heart pounding, put a hand on Jesus' arm. The Man's brown eyes, warmth showing even through His suffering, looked into his own, and the boy felt as if He were looking right through his soul. "It's okay. We'll get you there," Jeffrey told him softly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

With all his might, Jeffrey helped Jesus stand. In the corner of one eye, he could see Phineas pulling one person after the other away before they could get to Him. It didn't help matters much when a strong man grabbed Jeffrey and yanked him away from the Man carrying the cross.  
Phineas saw the boy falling on the pebbled road. "Jeffrey!" He abandoned his efforts and sprinted toward the boy, who was struggling to get up.  
"I'm okay, help Jesus!" Jeffrey told him.  
Phineas looks over to the commotion rising where several men had reached Jesus, and his eyes widened as he realized they were trying to _rescue_ the Man. "Listen, this isn't going to help! Let Him do this! He _has_ to do this!"  
They were the hardest words he had ever spoken; the very thought of helping _anyone _die just sickened him. Knowing just _whom_ he was helping this time only made it worse.

Then those soul-searching eyes met his, and a new strength of purpose flowed into him from…_somewhere._ Seeing that Jesus had no more strength, he picked up the cross and hoisted it onto his own shoulder; with his free arm, he grabbed Jesus. "It's okay; I've got you," he smiled thinly.

On the sidelines, Jeffrey watched in awe. For the third time since he'd met Bogg, one of them was taking the place of some other historical figure. _I guess sometimes the Omni really _doesn't_ care who does something; as long as it gets done._  
How had this man, exhausted and bleeding, made it as far as he had? Phineas wondered, struggling up the street with the heavy cross on his back and Jesus in his left arm. He could hear the crowd jeering at the condemned Man as they went by. Then they came to the last hill. His entire body ached from the effort; his heart pounded as if it would burst free of his chest. When he finally reached the top, a soldier roughly shoved him away, and he fell to the ground, exhausted.  
He closed his eyes and tried to remember how to breathe.  
"Bogg..." The voice made him open his eyes as he felt the hands on his face, and his blue eyes met the brown eyes of his kid. "I'm okay, kid. I'm okay." He rolled and pushed himself up to his feet; Jeffrey helped him the rest of the way up to his full six feet.

The sound of pounding reached their ears, and they turned to the sound. The soldiers were already pounding the nails into Jesus' hands; the Voyagers could see Him gritting his teeth not to scream in pain. It was one thing to read about it, but to witness it was a different story altogether. The hammering was loud enough to drown out most other sound. Most of the crowd was still jeering, but some were shrieking in protest or crying bitterly.  
Jeffrey stood in front of Bogg, so close his back touched his guardian's chest. He could just feel Bogg's comforting hands on his shoulders, though his eyes stayed glued to the situation in front of him.  
In his many years of Voyaging, Phineas had to agree that this was one of the worst assignments he'd ever been through. Only the fact that he knew Christ would rise again made it even bearable.  
He felt Jeff shiver and look down at him. Phineas saw his hands clench into fists and knew the boy was struggling. He felt the boy flinch with each blow of the hammer. "We _can _leave, ya know." he reminded Jeff.  
The dark head shook. "No. I can do this. I _know_ I can."  
Jeffrey gulped back the tears. He knew Bogg meant well and that watching this was breaking the pirate's heart as well as his own. At least neither one of them had to endure this alone. Not the way _He_ did. Even if they had been right by His side, He would have been terribly alone in His pain.  
Watching the nails being pounded into those sacred Hands had been bad enough, but now the soldiers were moving to the Feet, and Jeffrey's determination dissolved. "Oh, I can't watch," Jeffrey moaned and buried his face in Bogg's chest.  
His heart going out to the kid, Phineas wrapped his arms around him. He needed to get him away from here.  
The soldiers hoisted the cross up, and the Voyagers, along with the crowd, looked up at the Man. Jeffrey didn't need Bogg to tell him the light was green now. He knew. "Can we go celebrate Easter now?"  
Phineas turned the boy around to face him. "I'll do even better than that." He forced a smile and took the Omni from his belt.  
Jeffrey grabbed hold of Phineas arm just as Christ uttered one of the Seven Last Words: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

_**Forty Days Later:**_

"Bogg?" Jeff asked, not recognizing the place.  
"Follow me, kid."  
So Jeff follows Phineas up a hill, where they see the disciples surrounding a tall figure dressed in eye-blinding white. As the two came closer, they heard Jesus speaking:

As the two come closer to the small crowd, they hear Christ speaking: "All power is given to Me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."(1)  
With that, He began to rise into the heavens as the people present watched. Even after He had disappeared into the clouds, none of them, including the Voyagers, could stop watching the sky.  
Finally, Jeffrey turns around to face the man who was trying so hard to fill his father's shoes. He would never be able to explain how, but he had the feeling that this Event had somehow solidified the bond between them into something that no one would ever be able to break.

Tears streamed down his face. "Bogg, I don't know what to say," he quavered.  
Phineas squatted down so their eyes met. "Happy Easter, kid. Happy Easter."

THE END

(1) Matthew 28:18-20


End file.
